OFTC Celebrates 2021 National Apprenticeship Week
Oconee Fall Line Technical College (OFTC) along with the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) celebrated this year’s National Apprenticeship Week (November 15-19, 2021) by highlighting the importance of Registered Apprenticeship Programs to growing Middle Georgia’s skilled workforce.
OFTC is among Georgia’s 22 technical colleges, including the system office, to serve as registered apprenticeship sponsors making it a part of the largest registered apprenticeship network throughout the state.
In recent years, OFTC has offered several Registered Apprenticeship Programs, including ones with Kenco Aerospace (Machine Tool), Erdrich (Machine Tool), Thiele (Industrial Systems), BASF (Industrial Maintenance), and Wild Bore (Welding).
“The OFTC apprenticeship is of value to Wild Bore Machine because it provides a way of observing knowledgeable and serious apprentices in our work environment to assess their hands on ability and attitude,” said Vic Cooper, Director of Safety and HR at Wild Bore. “This apprenticeship program helps by providing dedicated and eager potential employee candidates during a time when finding qualified candidates is a challenge.”
Currently, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, there are more than 9,000 active apprentices throughout the state of Georgia, which continues Georgia’s rise in apprenticeship activity. This figure is expected to grow with the additional apprenticeship funding available to Georgia employers and apprentices, such as the Apprenticeship State Expansion (ASE) Grant and Georgia’s HOPE Career Grant.
To learn more about local apprenticeship opportunities available through OFTC, contact Lee Radney at lradney@oftc.edu. To get involved or learn more about TCSG’s Registered Apprenticeship Programs, please contact the Office of Workforce Development (apprenticeship@tcsg.edu).
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About OFTC
The mission of Oconee Fall Line Technical College, a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, is to contribute to the economic and workforce development of east central Georgia through quality technical and continuing education, adult education, and business and industry services. The College offers associate degrees, diplomas, technical certificates of credit, and non-credit certificates in a student-centered learning environment through traditional and distance education modes of delivery.
About TCSG
The 22 colleges of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) are Georgia’s top resource for skilled workers. TCSG offers world-class training in more than 600 associate degree, diploma and certificate programs to students who are trained on state-of-the-art equipment by instructors who are experts in their fields. The system also houses Georgia’s Office of Adult Education, which promotes and provides adult literacy and education programs, including the GED® testing program, throughout the state. In addition, TCSG partners with companies through Quick Start, the nation’s top customized workforce training program, and through its individual colleges, who work with local industry to provide workforce and training solutions. For more information, visit TCSG.edu
